“Don’t Stop” by 5 Seconds of Summer

5 Seconds of Summer (a.k.a. 5SOS) is an Australian rock band that that has been performing together since 2011. After gaining notoriety on YouTube for their covers of pop and rock songs from various artists during 2011 and early 2012, they rose to international fame after touring with One Direction on their “Take Me Home Tour”, and the subsequent release of their debut album. The song "Don’t Stop" is the second single off their self-titled debut album, 5 Seconds of Summer. The song was released in June 2014, and peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart.

5SOS’s sound is very reminiscent of the late 90’s/early 2000’s pop-punk movement and groups like Sum 41, My Chemical Romance, and especially Blink-182. 5SOS have even been credited with reviving the pop punk genre in recent years. The song is pretty standard pop punk stuff, with a driving guitar and drum laiden beat supplemented by soaring, harmonic vocals on the chorus. Lyrically, the band has stated that the song “is like THE party song – it’s something you can dance to or turn up loud in your car. It’s basically about the girl that everyone wants at a party”. The lyrics say that this girl is the eye of everyone at the party, and to not stop doing what she’s doing ’cause it’s working for her.

The music video starts out as a faux movie trailer, complete with MPAA disclaimer at the beginning. The video stars the band, and follows them as they become superheroes. Calum Hood becomes Cal-Pal, Ashton Irwin transforms into SmAsh!, Michael Clifford is Mike-Ro-Wave, and Luke Hemmings is now Dr. Fluke. Both SmAsh & Mike Ro-Wave wear high top chucks as part of their superhero getup, with SmAsh wearing a red pair and Mike wearing a white pair. As heroes, the band tries to help those in need, in ineffective but charming ways. They stop some kids doing graffiti, help an old lady cross a street, and save a girl from being comically tied up to a bomb. All these comic book hijinks are intercut with shots of the band performing the song on a rooftop, dressed in everyday street clothes, not superhero uniforms. It’s a fun video that fits with the band’s goofy personalities, and highlights the song even if it doesn’t necessarily mesh with the lyrics.